AH-WR-0390

Sea Tiger

Cargo Ship · Unknown (seized vessel) · Lost 1999 · The Hawaiian Islands

A cargo ship seized for smuggling migrants into Hawaii in the early 1990s, later cleaned up and sunk off Waikiki as one of Oahu's best-known dive wrecks.

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Artistic recreation based on recorded historical documents. See the documented evidence.

Interpretive Reconstruction, drawn to convey the vessel's era, type and general form. See the documented evidence.

The Vessel and Her Loss

Sea Tiger was a refrigerated cargo ship detained by U.S. authorities in the early 1990s after being used to smuggle undocumented immigrants into Hawaii. Purchased at auction by Voyager Submarines Hawaii, she was cleaned of oil and debris and deliberately sunk off Waikiki in July 1999. She now rests upright at around 100 feet, a popular dive site known for sharks, turtles, and swim-through access.

Vessel

Built: Not established
Builder: Not established
Yard: Not established
Material: Steel
Length: 168 ft
Beam: Not established
Tonnage: Not established
Propulsion: Diesel, single screw
Owners: Voyager Submarines Hawaii (at time of sinking)

Loss

Date: July 1, 1999
Cause: Intentional sinking
Location: South shore of Oahu, near Waikiki
Water: Pacific Ocean
Voyage: Not established
Cargo: Not established
Aboard: Not established
Lives lost: Not established
Master: Not established

The Wreck Today

Depth: 60-121
Condition: Resting upright and largely intact, with cut openings allowing limited penetration.
Orientation: Not established
Discovered: Not established
Protection: Not established